The term "Rockwellian" has been used to denote a world teeming with
harmony in familial relationships, patriotism, optimism, and a
general feeling that all is well. In Norman Rockwell's world,
children grow up before our eyes-still disobeying rules, grappling
with social pressures, and struggling with their evolution to
adulthood. One of Norman Rockwell's most recognizable works,
Girl with Black Eye (The Shiner) is an iconic example of the
artist's career-long fascination with the theme of childhood.

According to Deborah Solomon, "In the weeks following his mother's
death, Rockwell completed a memorable Post cover, The
Shiner, which stands with Rosie the Riveter as an
enchanting representation of female strength. It shows a girl with
red braids and a black eye sitting in a school corridor, outside
the principal's office. You assume she is about to be reprimanded
and possibly suspended for an infraction, perhaps a fight with a
boy. Nonetheless, she smiles defiantly and occupies the center of
the painting with the pluck and sturdiness of a true heroine"
(American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell, New York,
2013, p. 280).

The present work is a study for the May 23rd, 1953 cover of The
Saturday Evening Post. The final version of this painting is
part of the permanent collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum
of Art in Hartford, Connecticut.

For more information on The Shiner, please refer to:
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/05/11/art-entertainment/norman-rockwell-art-entertainment/rockwell-video-minute-shiner.html

Condition Report*:
photographic paper measures 11.625 x 10.375 inches and is laid down to panel measuring 14.625 x 13.75 inches; vestiges of old adhesive along extreme edges of image; a few areas of very minor craquelure; under UV light, there appears to be inpaint along left edge; two thin lines of vertical inpaint extending throughout image following the lines of door lintel. Framed Dimensions 19.5 X 19 Inches

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